The NST : SWIMMING: Ching Hwang targets bigger stage

LIM Ching Hwang has had a stellar season to date, having shone at both the Singapore and Malaysia National Age group (NAG) championships recently and he has now set his eyes on making the breakthrough to a bigger stage this year.

The Singapore-based Malaysian swimmer, who clinched qualification for the Barcelona World Championships at the Singapore NAG last month and won four gold medals at the NAG in Bukit Jalil, said he is hoping to challenge for honours in his debut at the Asian Youth Games (AYG) in Nanjing, China in August.

"It will be quite an exciting experience for me to compete in Nanjing as it will be my first time competing against top-class swimmers from China, Japan and South Korea at this level," said Ching Hwang, whose performances this season have also seen him secure a spot in the Myanmar Sea Games.

"I consider myself to be still learning to race and am continuing to develop but I still hope to make an impact there (Nanjing) in my favourite events -- the 50, 100 and 200 metre freestyle.

"I will give it my best shot and am hoping to win medals in these events and possibly break a few records while I am at it."

The 17-year-old, whose personal best times have seen him being widely tipped as a potential successor to Daniel Bego, said he is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in the sport.

"It can be tough being away from home and I do miss the food here in Malaysia but I have learnt to adapt and now enjoy myself in Singapore.

"SSS have a great programme and I get to put in a lot of high quality training which I feel is important for me to keep improving.

"Being a boarding school, they have a very tight schedule and we spend a lot of time in the pool as it is only 200m from our school."

Ching Hwang joined the Singapore Sports School (SSS) at the age of 14 and was last year named the school's Best Male Swimmer.